Art'ur?
by SlenderGirl664410
Summary: After a spell to kill Merlin goes wrong, he turns into a kid. Arthur is told to watch over him by Gauis, and the little one turns out to be a handfull! Arthur finds he's taking stern measures to keep him in line until Gauis returns. WARNING- spanking of a minor in some (few) chapters. Dont like, dont read. lots of fluff and sweetness!
1. Merlin!

Fury all but blinding him, Arthur grumbled under his breath as heArhured through the town, his appearance the epitome of messy. His shirt was wrinkled and on inside out, and his hair was tousled from his sheets and pillows. Across the town he went, mounting fury rising in his composure. When he reached his destination, the home of his lazy, inconsiderate servant, he shoved open the door.

"Gauis! Where is Merlin?" He growled.

The old man, startled straightened himself and turned his torso, revealing a small child on the table, looking fearful. Arthurs brow furrowed in confusion, words lost for a moment before he looked back at Gauis. He was about to repeat his question when his eyes fell on those of the childs, a brilliant blue. Arthur knew those eyes. he stopped, words again caught in his throat.

"...Merlin?" He was finally able to utter.

Gaius nodded, turning back to the boy and picking him up. Merlin clung to the mans cloak, hiding his rubyface in his shoulder. Gauis chuckled softly at the innocent behavior. Arthur was taken back by the sudden knew way of seeing Merlin.

"I believe that a spell has been placed on him, from something he drank or ate. I'm unsure, but I know there is a remedy," Gauis sighed, glacing over to his books.

"He looks like a bloody toddler! How am I supposed to go around without a servant? Arthur huffed.

"I've not a clue, sire. But the journey is a week long to get he ingredients." Gauis told him.

"I'll gather my best men and set out a-"

"No, sire, you are needed here. That is a two week journey, one week there and back. You have responsibilities in Camelot." Gauis said sharply.

Arthur frowned, considering this. Gauis shifted Merlin on his arm and held him out to Arthur. Arthur, surprised, took him shakily. Merlin looked at Gauis then up at Arthur warily. Gauis smiled, pattin the boys head, causing him to relax a bit in the princes arms.

Arthur blushed and scowled at the doctor.

"He is one of those responsibilities. I will go myself, sire."

Arhur went to argue but his voice was silenced as the weight on his chest came in one motion, Merlin now resting his small, tierd frame against Arthurs strong, secure shoulder. Arthurs face became a faint crimson.

"An endearing pair you two make, sire," Gauis teased, chuckling.

"Oh, do shut up." Arthur mumbled.

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It was not too much later that Gauis set off, leaving Merlin and Arthur watching from one of the balconies in the hopped up and down with aggravated grunts before sighing, pouting because he couldnt see. He looked up at Arthur with curious eyes.

"Art'ur!" He huffed, finally saying something.

Arthur shifted and looked down,"what? What do you want?" He asked, exasperated.

Merlin lifted his arms up, hands opening in closing in gesture to being picked up,"Up?"

Arthur scowled,"No. Walk on your own feet."

Merlins brow furrowed, disappointed that he'd been rejected. Arthur turned and stalked away, forcing Merlin to hurry after him. With such small legs, he had to jog to keep up. He began to pant and got upset that Arthur was so much bigger than he was, reaching out and grabbing Arthurs cloak. Arthur stopped and turned to the small child.

"What in gods name is it now, Merlin?" He hissed.

Merlin, bound and determined, glared back up at him, yanking his hand back from Arthurs cloak and crossing his arms.

"You'we going too fast," he huffed.

Arthur rolled his eyes'"keep up then."

Merlin scowled at him as he turned again, walking back to the palace. But this time, Merlin noted the bit of a change in his speed. Merlin smiled,satisfied, and followed him.


	2. Complications and a Messy Woom!

As they arrived at the palace, merlin was looking around at the seemingly gigantic rooms and halls. He smiled at the pretty maids you walks past, who awed at the small boy. Arthur ignored them and continued on his way until he reached the Kings chambers. He knocked once, breifly, waiting for a 'Come in' to emerge, then pushed open the doors.

"Ah, Arthur. I was wondering where you hurried off to this morning." Uther mumbled, looking over his work after glancing up at Arthur.

"My lord, I'd like to request another servant due to complications with Merlin." Arthur spoke, watching his father fret over all of his paperwork.

Uther looked up, confused,"What complications might we be talking about?"

"Merlin." Arthur called.

He glanced back at the door, only to see an empty hall. Arthur spun on his heel and went back out to the hall, looking around until he spotted Merlin looking up in awe at one of the many paintings.

"Merlin!" Arthur barked.

Merlin jumped and looked at him, then ran over to him.

"Yes?"

"Quit mucking about," Arthur chided, kneeling and picking him up.

Merlin pouted but leaned his cheek against the crook of Arthur's neck.

Uther, amused by the scene, stood, pointing at Merlin.

"Is that him?" He asked.

Arthur wanted to reply with some sarcastic remark but decided against it,"Yes, my lord. He had a spell cast on him. I spoke with one of the guards to search the towns for anything already, lest we have an attacker."

Uther looked over Merlin, who shrunk back against Arthur under the kings gaze. Uther stepped back with a sigh.

"Fine. Report to me later what the guards find." He agreed.

Arthur nodded and turned out of the door, letting the guards shut it. He didn't bother setting Merlin down, just walked down the hall to his own chambers. There he dropped Merlin onto the bed, who giggled, getting up on his hands and knees, bouncing lightly on the soft material.

Arthur watched him with interest as Merlin looked around, sitting back on his knees.

"Youw woom is messy," He commented.

Arthur glanced around at the chaos he spoke of.

"Yes, and who's fault is that?" He asked rhetorically.

"Youws!" Merlin giggled, enjoying the game.

Arthur scowled and proceeded to straighten up his room, attempting to ignore Merlins childish humming and bouncing on the bed.


	3. Trip to the Market!

Curiously, after a drawn out silence, Arthur looked over at his bed, only to see a still, steady breathing Merlin clinging to his pillow. He set down the cloak he'd taken off on the desk and walked over. There lay Merlin, asleep, his raven hair falling into his face. His ruby tinted cheeks were hidden against the pale fabric of the pillow.

Arthur sighed and carefully lifted the small frame off of the bed, drawing back the covers, then laying him down. He covered him up and gazed over him once more. Finally, he turned on his heel, to the door and left quietly.

It had been nearly an hour Arthur had been out and about in the castle, reluctant to leave Merlin in the large palace alone. He walked the hallways, wondering how much trouble he'd just taken in. Was the two weeks worth it? Couldn't he just leave Merlin with Gwen?

Just when Arthur was losing himself in his thoughts, he heard a faint wail from inside of the hall. He whipped around, running back into the castle, out of the warm sun. He hurried through the long corridors until his gaze landed on a red-faced, distressed Merlin. He rushed over, picking the boy up.

"Merlin, what's wrong?" He asked breathlessly.

Merlins eyes cracked open, shoulders shaking and tears staining his face.

"I-I didn't know where y-you had gone," the boy bawled.

After answering Arthur's inquire, he promptly buried his face in the prince's shoulder, small, shaking hands clinging onto his shirt. Arthur felt something twist in his chest and his hand went almost instinctively to Merlin's hair, combing through it soothingly. He didn't know why he'd done it, but now that he'd started, he couldn't bring himself to stop.

The child in his arms soon came to the realization that Arthur was here now, and that everything was okay, so he began to calm. Arthur was unspeakably grateful for this, not experienced with dealing with a young boy so sensitive. This was, in fact, going to be two very long weeks..

Later that day, Arthur had been sent his new servant, who assisted him in redressing. Afterwards, he was persuaded by the small Merlin who plagued him to go out to the town. Arthur finally gave in, supposing that there wasn't much else for him to do here. Merlin was thrilled with this, skipping along side Arthur as they left. Arthur rolled his eyes and propped his head on Merlin's head, stilling him.

"Stop that. Act mature." He chided.

Merlin smiled up at him, then thought again and scowled. Arthur raised an eyebrow as he continued to walk. Merlin caught up with him, realizing he started again, now his shoulders were held back, chest out, arms crossed in a proud stride alongside Arthur. Arthur chuckled and shook his head, heading out to the market.


	4. New things

Merlin seemed to be having the time of his life by the way he was looking around. All of the different shops and stands with pretty flowers or intricate designs on a play thing. Arthur was amused with the behavior until Merlin began to run across to each different place, driving Arthur mad trying to keep up.

He gave up and just kept an eye on him as he hurried around. The thing was, Merlin seemed so content with this. He never asked to get something, to which Arthur would have said yes depending on what it was, just looked. And he never stopped at one stand too long, just smiled at the man or woman behind it and chatted for a bit, then moved on.

Arthur had only just noticed this, and Merlin moved onto a new stand, and this time he didn't smile or look up at the person behind the counter, just walked over and was seemingly entranced by the different jewelry displayed.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, walking over. Jewelry? Something so simplistic captured Merlin apparently.

"Merlin?" He said quietly, offering a brief smile to the woman behind the counter, who seemed surprised.

Arthur knelt down and the boy looked over at him.

"Sowwy, I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, looking back over.

He seemed to focus on just one of them. It was a small, dark blue jewel with light brown and tan beads on either side, two of each. Arthur thought it had no significance until he looked at the blue again- like Merlins eyes.

"Did you want something?" Arthur encouraged.

Merlin didn't reply for a few seconds, then looked over at him again, shaking his head.

"No, im fine." He replied quietly, smiling a bit.

With that, he gave Arthur a brief hug, then turned and ran off to a different stand. Arthur righted himself and pulled the small sack of gold coins he had out.

Later, the two walked back to the castle, Arthur carrying Merlin, seeing the boy so tired. Tucked away in his pocket was the small necklace, and his sack of coins. Merling yawned against him, not sleeping yet, just looking at the floor as they walked.

"Something the matter, Merlin?" Arthur asked.

Merlin didn't reply, letting Arthur open the doors to his chamber in silence. Arthur let the guards shut them and set Merlin on the bed. He quickly grabbed the necklace from his pocket and knelt in front of Merlin, who looked confused.

"Merlin, you should know I don't like liars," Arthur smiled, he meant it to be a small tease.

Merlin looked completely lost, and slightly alarmed, like he was about to be punished for something. Then, Arthur offered him the small necklace, amused as he watched Merlins eyes light up, excitement taking over instead of exhaustion.

"You bought it?" He asked excitedly.

Arthur nodded and slipped it over his head. Merlin looked down at it, then back at Arthur, jumping up and hugging him tight.

"Thank you!" He said.

Arthur smiled and hugged him back, glad he had bought the silly necklace. He knew that even as a small child, he might not ever understand Merlin.


	5. Breakfast face

The next morning, Arthur woke to the sounds footsteps around the room. He looked around and spotted the new servant, Damian, who was hurrying about in the room. Arthur sighed, then tried to sit up. He received and unhappy sound from someone aside from himself, and now was aware of Merlin curled up on his chest. Arthur felt his face get hot, knowing the serving boy had seen this.

Arthur picked up the child slowly,careful not to wake him as he slipped out of bed. He lay Merlin back down, covering him up.

He had Damian dress him for the day, and had him go get the pair breakfast. After he left, Arthur went to the window of his room, looking out on the people. After a few quiet, thought filled moments, he turned to wake Merlin, but stumbled as his legs were captured in an embrace from Merlins giggling form.

Arthur grunted, trying not to trip over the little child. Upon catching his balance, Arthur huffed quietly, looking down at Merlin.

The boy gazed back up at him, a wide smile on his lips, eyes wide with childish innocence. Both of their looks went to the door as Damian entered once again. Arthur cleared his throat and shook his leg gently, nudging Merlin off.

"Let me go, Merlin, stay on your own feet." Arthur mumbled, his tone driving Merlins smile away slowly.

Merlin nodded and stepped back, looking down at his bared feet.

"Sowwy," he muttered.

Arthur cast him another uncertain glance, feeling bad. He ruffled his hair affectionately as he walked past him to the table.

Damian presented a splendid breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast with jam. Arthur was eager to eat and get on with the day, while Merlin spent his time making things with the food he was given.

Upon seeing the bacon - mouthed, toast - eyed, egg - haired face strewn across Merlins plate, Arthur bt back his amused chuckle and instead scolded him not to play with his food. Merlin pouted stubbornly at this, proud of his creation.

"Eat, Merlin, now." Arthur warned, standing while the server took the plate off the table.

Merlin mumbled something but grudgingly ate a small bit of the eggs around the plate.

Arthur was satisfied at the small victory and went back to the window.

After Merlin had finished and Damian had cleared both plates from the room, he servant informed Arthur of the arrival of the council memeber later that day, concerning the lower numbers of crops in a few of the lower towns, which may or may not be a result of a drought, lack of people residing there, or even a swarm of bugs somewhere nearby.

The prince nodded, assuring hed be there, and dismissing him to do other chores, telling him to return an hour or so before the meeting to prepare him.

Meanwhile, Arthur had to set out to train his men, and gather information about anything regarding the search for the sorcerer.

Arthur glanced at Merlin, who was reluctantly eating his meal, feet swinging freely under the table. Arthur frowned, not sure if he should take Merlin along or not.

()()()()()

Guys, I wanted to thank you for all the nice reviews, favorites and follows, it means a lot! So, keep posting and I will too :D


	6. Just a pinch

Arthur was certain he'd made the worst mistake of his life as he went to train, no attempted to train, all of his knights. While they were decently focused, Merlin was a huge distraction. Playing with the shields, trying to do what he and the knights were doing, asking useless questions. The men didn't seem to mind, found it amusing, actually, but Arthur was growing tired of it. Finally, after Merlin managed to find one of the practice swords and injure himself with a splinter, Arthur gave up reluctantly, calling a break.

Meanwhile Merlin was sniffling, looking at the small bit of wood that punctured his finger.

"Nooo, don't touch it it hurts!" The boy whined, yanking his hand away when Arthur tried to remove it.

"It's going to hurt, you twit it's wood stuck in your finger," Arthur commented bitterly.

This made Merlin go off again, crying and scared, not wanting it in his finger but not wanting it to hurt anymore.

This called the attention of some of the men lounging around, who now looked over and frowned. Arthur could see they wanted to help, but didn't want to speak out of turn by mistake. Arthur glared ruefully at Merlin, who was clutching his wound to his chest. What was he supposed to do here? He would not submit to something so silly as a crying child in front of his men.

Unless it was Merlin.

Arthur reluctantly picked him up and stood again instead of kneeling, soothing him by carding his fingers through his hair. Merlin hid his face in the prince's shoulder, still covering his hand protectively.

Arthur felt his face grow warm and he turned away from the Knights, who he saw smiling at him briefly.

"Merlin, calm down...It only hurts for a moment." Arthur assured, hoping that it would calm him.

And it did, because he prince then heard him swallow hard, then he sniffled quietly.

"Promise?" He asked.

Arthur again felt that tightness in his chest, hearing his tear - filled request for assurance.

"Promise." Arthur replied.

He shifted Merlin on his arm, pulling him out so he could see the boys face. Arthur found himself smiling as he wiped away the wet tears on his face.

"It's like a pinch, then its gone."

Letting his sleeve fall back off of his palm, he pinched Merlins cheek playfully, but enough to leave a reddish tint.

"Like that," He chuckled.

Merlin batted his hand away, giggling,"Okay."

Arthur snapped back to reality then, realizing where he was. He cleared his throat and set Merlin down, taking his hand again. The boy frowned and shut his eyes tight, his other hand shutting into a fist. Arthur held back a smile as he tried to pull it out quickly.

A few unhappy sounds later, Merlin slowly open his eyes and looked at the prince warily.

He held up the small bit of wood for him to see.

"See? Just a pinch."

Merlin smiled and laughed, relaxing as Arthur flicked away the small piece of wood. When Arthur looked back at him, Merlin hugged him.

"Thank you," he murmured.

Arthur groaned inwardly, reluctantly ruffling his hair in return.


	7. Bedtime

That evening, Damian assisted Arthur in dressing for that nights meet with the council. He had his hair combed through and went through different aspects of the meeting issue with Damian, based on what he knew so far.

After a tedious session with Merlin, who demanded to go with him, Arthur regretfully found himself shouting at him.

"Merlin, I said no!" He barked.

Merlin looked startled, then offended. Damian glanced up at the prince a moment, still dressing Merlin for bed, which had been an entirely different issue for Merlin. After finishing, Damian offered what little comfort her could by ruffling Merlin's hair, then stood.

Arthur felt a bit guilty about yelling, but he felt a little less so when Merlin pouted, pushing just once more.

"Please?" He asked softly.

Arthur couldn't help a small smile. He shook his head and knelt in front of him.

"No, Merlin this is serious stuff, you need to sleep." He explained.

Merlin huffed, still upset, but nodded,"Mkay."

With that, he hugged Arthur before he left, letting himself be put to bed. Arthur made his way to the meeting, satisfied Merlin agreed to go to bed, however grudgingly, he agreed.

()

It was around an hour into the talking when Arthur fully understood how bloody boring these meetings were. Yes, it was bearable, but only just. Everyone continuously repeated things for no reason, the prince swore it would drive him mad. Just as he was losing himself in other thoughts, the room went silent. He noticed this and looked around obliviously until he saw the open doors. He slid back in his chair to see, confused, and the sight that greeted him was one he was not pleased to see.

Merlin, in his bed gown, tousled hair, a tattered bear clutched in one of his hands. Nobody spoke, not even Merlin, as they were both shocked and confused.

the boy just walked towards Arthur and still wordlessly climbed up into his lap, snuggling close to his chest, eyeing everyone else in the room skeptically.

"Merlin what are you doing up?" Arthur asked, feeling his face get hot.

"Couldn't sleep." He mumbled.

Everyone seemed piece things together and smiles arose.

"Where's his mother, should she not be sitting with him?" One of the members asked, chuckling.

Arthur was too stunned to speak, so Merlin got to it before he could.

"No, it's just me and dad," the boy replied innocently.

Arthur swore his face was as red as that of a tomato when there was a collection of 'awes'.

He looked at his father helplessly, only to find his amused grin staring back at him.

"Merlin, you need to go back to bed."

"Nooo!" He whined, burying his face into Arthur's neck, hands clutching his shirt. The prince didn't dare look up at the council members.

Then, to add to his humiliation, his father chuckled.

"Let him stay, we can get on with the discussion," he assured.

Arthur grumbled something under his breath, sure no one had heard. But Merlin had, and he sat up on Arthurs lap with a gasp, putting his hands over Arthur's mouth, frowning.

"No, don't say that," the child scolded.

Arthur felt like sinking through the floor when an uproar of laughter rose in the room. He scowled and hastily took Merlins waist, sitting the boy back down, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

It had only been two days since Gauis left, he then realized with dread.

Oh god.

()()()()

**side note, a lot of you have asked so I'll tell you that Merlin only has memories up until this point in time.


	8. Skipping Rocks

It was a little past noon when Merlin managed to get Arthur to go with him on a walk. The boy had been squirming about all morning, unable to keep still for more than a few minutes after each of Arthur's warnings. Still as stubborn as the regular Merlin, the boy finally climbed up into Arthur's lap, unmindful of the papers he was working on, and just sat. Like the tricky devil he seemed to be, every minute he was picking at Arthur's shirt, his pants, squirming in his lap, snuggling up against his chest and distracting him, forcing Arthur to jerk his arm around him for fear of him falling and hitting his head. It really did get annoying, so Arthur, reluctantly, agreed to go.

He swore he'd never seen Merlin move so quickly, an excited little cheer rising from his lips. He tugged Arthur's hand, still obviously impatient. Arthur sighed and stood from the chair, deciding that what he was wearing right then was fine. He leaned down a bit to pick up Merlin, who giggled and wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck.

As they walked, Merlin swung his small legs subconsciously, perhaps a small tic as a result of his always evident energy. Arthur had decided on his own that a trip to the creek might be a bit more interesting than just walking around. Once they finally arrived, Merlin's eye lit up, and he promptly began to squirm and whine in Arthur's grip.

"Alright, Alright, Merlin." Arthur huffed, kneeling before Merlin had the chance to slip out of his grasp and fall. As soon as the boy's feet hit the ground, He hurried off to the water, plopping down on a patch of grass to take off his shoes. Arthur's brow furrowed, watching him curiously. After Merlin had done away with his shoes, he took off eagerly towards the water, splashing into it. Arthur's shoulders and feet twitched forward on instinct, wanting to go after him and pull him out. Merlin, laughing and bright eyed, didn't seem to notice, and instead squatted down and look at some of the small fish that were swimming about a little ways away from his feet. He turned his attention to the rocks he was currently perched upon, picking up some of the small, gravel-like ones and letting them run through his fingers.

Arthur was once again amazed by how entertained he was, playing by himself with nothing but the creek to occupy him. He sat on a flat rock near the edge, watching him as he stood, gazing intently down at a grey, slate rock he held with interest. That's how he stood for a few moments, then he suddenly turned, holding the rock between two fingers. He twisted at the waist, to the left, his fingers holding the flat rock near his hip. Then in one motion, he twisted right around again, his fingers letting go of the rock and they both watched it skip once, twice, then a third time over the water. Merlin turned to look at Arthur over his shoulder, smiling, looking for praise.

And Arthur unknowingly gave it with his shocked look,"Where did you learn that, Merlin?" He asked.

Merlin just giggled and turned back around, making his way around in the clear water.

SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT GUYS. IM A HORRIBLE PERSON I KNOW I KNOW LOL. LOTS OF DRAMA IN JUNIOR HIGH TO DEAL WITH))))))


	9. I said Enough

Around two hours later, Arthur was sitting down on a rock near the edge of the water, his own feet bare at that point. The cool water slipped against his skin, and he found it rather relaxing. Merlin was knelt into water, on his hands and knees as he picked carefully through the small rocks around. Every so often, he would sit up on his knees, study a rock he'd picked up, then toss it carefully up onto the bank.

Even though Arthur saw this as rather tedious, annoying work, he didn't question it. He let Merlin do as he pleased, provided he stayed relatively dry. His breeches were soaked to his kid-thigh from kneeling, but he didn't seem to mind. Soon though, Arthur watched him sway as he sat up, another rock in his hand. He dropped it, falling back to his hands and knees to catch himself. Arthur had again jerked unintentionally, sitting forward on the rock, ready to rush over. He saw Merlin blink for a suspiciously long time before the boy jerked his head slightly. Arthur sighed as he stood, deciding that Merlin was much too tired to be out here. He got out of the water and dried his feet against the soft grass before slipping on his shoes again.

"Merlin." He called," let's go back home."

Merlin turned to glance at him, then pouted, shifting back on his knees again.

"I don't want to go home." He sulked, crossing his arms.

Arthur rose an eyebrow,"You're very obviously tired, Merlin. Now come on."

Merlin shook his head, standing,"No! I want to stay." He huffed.

"Merlin." Arthur warned,"Now."

The boy's expression shifted, his eyes moving over Arthur's face as if he were deciding something.

Arthur remained unwavering, determined to get Merlin home and in bed.

"No." Merlin finally blurted, turning away from the prince and kneeling down again.

Arthur muttered something before silently removing his boots again. He stepped back into the water, still quiet, waiting until he was only a foot away from the boy before snatching him up around her waist. Merlin gasped and whined loudly, struggling. His small feet sprayed the front of Arthur's shirt with water as he kicked.

"No! I want to stay!" He protested loudly, banging his small fists against Arthur's chest when he was close enough. Arthur immediately held him away from himself, scowling.

"Enough, Merlin!" He barked in anger.

Merlin stopped for a moment, long enough to glare at Arthur before his expression shifted and his lips parted again, giving away to a frustrated scream of protest. Arthur grimaced and before he knew what he was doing, brough Merlin back to his chest, holding him there with one arm wrapped around his waist. His free arm moved quickly and suddenly Merlin's ear-piercing shriek was cut off by a startled, pained yelp as Arthur's palm struck his backside. Merlin's expression shifted again, rapidly, the defiance draining out of him in a second. His hands moved to grip onto Arthur's shirt, his small frame tense.

"I said enough," Arthur said, his tone still stern, but softer.

Arthur shifted Merlin onto his hip carefully, unaware his shoulders had begun to shake until Merlin buried his red face into Arthur's shoulder. His hand shook as a wavering exhale turned into a whine, then a wail of remorse. Arthur, in shock by the sudden mood swing, hesitated only a moment before his fingers shifted to curl into Merlin's hair.

"Shh, Merlin, it's alright." He assured quietly in his ear.

"'M sorry..." he mumbled against his shirt between sharp breaths and his tears.

"I know, it's alright, you're forgiven...no more fits, agreed?" Arthur encouraged softly, feeling like a heartless brute for reducing Merlin to such a state.

Merlin's raven locks bounced as he nodded into his shoulder,"No more."

Soon, the boys crying was reduced to sniffles, and Arthur helped him get his shoes back on before picking him up again, starting the walk back to the palace. No later than ten minutes, Merlin's soft, steady breathing against Arthur's shoulder along with his relaxed frame told him that Merlin had fallen asleep. Arthur still felt something tugging at his chest, still feeling bad about the whole ordeal.


End file.
